altar slab: altaarplaat. to bestow: schenken. bone of contention: twistappel. breed: ras. chalice: kelk. Elgin Marbles: Lord Elgin, ambassadeur in Griekenland – toen deel van het Turkse Rijk – bracht tot 1812 beelden van het Griekse parthenon over naar Engeland. to follow suit: voorbeeld volgen. to haunt: rondspoken. impetus: stimulans. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936): In India geboren Brits auteur van onder meer The Jungle Book. Hij kreeg in 1907 de Nobelprijs voor Literatuur. to loot: plunderen, roven.
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945): Italiaans dictator die Italië in de Tweede Wereldoorlog bracht. philosophy (hier): opvatting. proponent: voorstander. retribution: vergelding. suffragette: voorstandster van het vrouwenstemrecht.
When it began in the late 16th century, the original impetus for British empire-building was mostly economic. It was only in the 19th century that a philosophy of empire developed – the notion that it was the God-given mission of the British to bestow the benefits of its civilisation on (in the words of Kipling) “lesser breeds without the law”. However, this notion, although genuinely believed by its proponents, was essentially no more than an excuse for the continued and expanding exploitation of resources and markets.
The British empire has, of course, disappeared. But it is remarkable how echoes of its former exploitative practices continue to come back to haunt it, in particular the habit of its generals and governors of requisitioning cultural artefacts and sending them back to Britain. The case of the Elgin Marbles, an ongoing bone of contention between Britain and Greece ever since they were removed from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin, is well-known.
Now, another case has come to light. In 1867, in retribution for the imprisonment of western diplomats and missionaries there, a British army invaded Ethiopia and stormed the fortress of Magdala, after which 200 mules and 15 elephants were laden with treasures looted from it. These included gold crowns, chalices, swords, altar slabs and other icons of the Ethiopian Orthodox church – including six beautifully illustrated manuscripts that were presented to Queen Victoria. These have remained in Windsor Castle ever since.
Encouraged by Italy’s recent decision to return the Axum obelisk (looted by Mussolini in the 1930s) to its homeland, the Ethiopian government has let it be known that it would like Britain to follow suit. Professor Richard Pankhurst (grandson of the famous suffragette leader, Emmeline) who teaches at Addis Ababa University, is leading the campaign. He has written personally to the Queen.
